The Year Pride Went Beige

Business of Fashion

a day ago

For the past half-decade, Connor Clary has racked up tens of millions of TikTok likes for his sardonic reviews of branded Pride collections. In previous years, he poked fun at what he dubs a 'rainbow barf' aesthetic, including a Target shirt saying, 'Sorry, can't think straight' with a picture of a rainbow-hued brain or a bright green boilersuit with the word 'Gay' plastered in yellow across the back.
This year, the theme of many corporate Pride efforts could best be described as 'in the closet,' he said. Clary has reviewed a beige Target Pride collection called 'New Neutrals,' dark denim jorts from Abercrombie & Fitch and a 'bizarre' number of other items that could easily pass for non-Pride clothing.
It's not just fewer rainbow tank tops. Obvious political statements, envelope-pushing looks by LGBTQ+ artists, casting of trans models in campaigns and defiance of gender norms are rarer this year.
Influencers and LGBTQ+ activists have rolled their eyes at corporate Pride celebrations for years, viewing these efforts as rainbow-washing — latching onto the cause mostly for its marketing potential — or just plain tacky. But the subdued tenor to 2025 Pride merch comes as many brands are avoiding public engagement with progressive causes amid a backlash by right-wing activists and the Trump administration, which has shaken the private sector by declaring DEI efforts unlawful and threatening to release a list of 'woke companies.'
In one survey by Gravity Research, a risk management firm, 39 percent of corporate leaders said they planned to reduce 2025 Pride activities, with 61 percent citing fear of retaliation from Trump as a reason. LGBTQ+ youth nonprofit The Trevor Project 'has seen a dip in support from corporate partners this year,' said a spokesperson, and many cities' Pride parade organisers report a steep drop in sponsorships.
Steering clear of rainbow T-shirts has its own risks. Target's sales are down from last year due in part to its public retreat from diversity efforts, chief executive Brian Cornell acknowledged in a May earnings call. Nike raised eyebrows last year for not releasing a Pride collection for the first time since 1999; this year it's back with sneakers in collaboration with a pair of WNBA stars (Nike-owned Converse is also out with its usual colourful collection of canvas shoes).
A retreat from LGBTQ+ rights can not only alienate customers but also hurt recruitment, creative partnerships and influencer relationships, said Brent Ridge, founder of skincare brand Beekman 1802.
'It just depends on how visible you have been in the past, and how invisible you are now,' he said. 'It's more about the contrast between the two.'
The brand's Pride collection includes soap and moisturiser with rainbow packaging designed by residents of the Ali Forney Center. A portion of the profits goes to the LGBTQ+ youth shelter. Beauty brands sticking with Pride campaigns include decades-long supporters like Kiehl's and MAC and younger brands like Glow Recipe. Beekman 1802's Pride collection for 2025. (Beekman 1802)
'Some companies give too much credence or weight to what they think is going to happen,' said Ridge.
In a politically fraught time, collections heavy on neutral and black can be seen as a way of laying low, even for brands that continue to support LGBTQ+ organisations and Pride parades.
'A lot of companies … now seem to have the attitude, 'We've been doing it for this long, and it would be a big deal if we didn't do it, so here's just something that is non-offensive and quiet,'' Clary said. Blending In
Pride collections typically include their share of basic T-shirts and tanks alongside edgier items. The scarcity of more provocative looks could be viewed as either a tasteful or fearful turn — or possibly both. Some mainstream brands' collections evoke pop stars more than politics this year.
Brands used to 'approach Pride with a sense of humour,' said Clary, who noted that Target's cringiest catchphrase merch has disappeared since 2023, when an uproar about trans-friendly swimsuits resulted in violent threats to employees and the retailer pulled items from stores.
There are still some whimsical touches at Target, including a rainbow mesh dress and a 'Love is for all' slogan T-shirt. A miniature moving truck featuring bird figurines and the lesbian flag colours has gone viral.
In a statement, Target said it 'will continue to mark' Pride month with products, internal programming and event sponsorships.
Clary has called out five brands so far for putting out Pride-labeled items that could pass for everyday clothing, including plain denim items, a green oxford shirt and shorts set and a Britney Spears tank top from Abercrombie & Fitch; an earlier year saw the brand's collection draw on American artist and activist Keith Haring.
In the UK, Adidas labels a Jeremy Scott collaboration as a 'Pride' collection, but doesn't connect it to the celebration on its US site. There, the Pride landing page displays sneakers available year-round, along with a mention of its partnership with the LGBTQ+ nonprofit Athlete Ally. An Adidas representative said the Jeremy Scott collaboration 'is available in the US as part of the Pride collection,' pointing out a banner saying 'love lifts us up' on a separate landing page minus the term 'Pride.' The titles of the Jeremy Scott Adidas collaboration page on the brand's UK site (top) and US site (bottom). (Screenshots) Standing Up
Not all labels are shying away from rainbows or provocation this year, as shown by a bright watch capsule by Guess and a lascivious Diesel collection and campaign cast from the social networking app Grindr. Whether bland or bold, most brands' Pride items are combined with donations to LGBTQ+ causes. Pride is a crucial fundraising month for advocacy, but takes on more urgency this year amid what a Trevor Project representative called 'uniquely challenging political environment' in the US. Abercrombie & Fitch, Lululemon, Sephora, MAC Cosmetics and Rare Beauty are among The Trevor Project's continued supporters.
Levi's 2025 collection doesn't have anything as bold as the purple gender-neutral dress by a non-binary textile artist it offered for Pride in 2023. But it was designed in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society, and the company is one of a small number of large brands to publicly stand by its DEI efforts. The denim brand also tags several pride products with the triangle symbol used by queer activists starting in the 1970s, 'proving that you can go beyond rainbows and remind people that the personal is political,' said Michael Wilke, the founder and executive director of LGBTQ-focused marketing consultancy AdRespect.
Beauty labels that have stood by the LGBTQ+ community for decades are also staying active. Kiehl's, a Pride supporter since the 1980s, has an in-store campaign and is donating ​​$150,000 to the Ali Forney Center, while MAC Cosmetics' 30-year-old Viva Glam initiative will donate $1 million and 100 percent of proceeds of a special-edition Kim Petras lip gloss to charities. Sephora teamed up with Haus Labs and Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation for a Pride campaign donating $1 from every purchase. Aesop is sponsoring its fifth annual Queer Library in select stores, giving away free copies of books by queer authors in partnership with Penguin Random House and the ACLU. Kim Petras poses with MAC Cosmetics' special-edition lip gloss for Pride 2025. (MAC Cosmetics)
Pairing Pride marketing and merchandise with donations helps brands counter accusations of rainbow-washing. Experts also highlight the importance of continuing to elevate the work of smaller artists in the community, especially in the face of right-wing backlash.
Not all brands have given in to their own customers' blowback. Nascar has eschewed critics of its kitschy rainbow Pride shirts with phrases like 'Slaytona.' One with 'Yaaascar' in rainbow letters was among the only Pride items that Clary has accepted as a PR gift.
'The move is to crop it and then wear it,' said Clary.